That first month of school Some of those reading this have already gone “back to school.” I am a teacher squeezing the last bit of summer out of the break from my regular school year work, and as soon as I’m home it is “game on” again. But don’t let the well oiled machine of […]
teacher support
Posted inFeatured
A Teacher’s Gratitude… for Her Teachers
Tomorrow is my 23rd first day of school. Unlike the past five years, I will not be in front of the classroom; instead, I will be behind the scenes as a building administrator at a university. Even though the setting has changed, the feelings remain the same. The night before the first day of school […]
Posted inHow to Fix Education
Teaching Class (With Class)
In the past, we’ve explored the “10 Ways to Fix Education” mini-series. We’re resurrecting this topic, and one way I’d like to fix education is teaching class (with class). This homophone highlights two items that should be at the forefront of our working memory and, well, our work. The first association – class, a noun […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
The Middle School Mind: How To Find Out What They’re Thinking
Summer is finally over. Parents are secretly smiling as they shoo their kids out the door, snap a few first day of school photos and sigh. Yes, some of them might shed a few tears over the passage of time and the impending high school graduation – even if it’s still five years away. And some […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
Top 5 Things Every Teacher Should Do Before School Starts
Have the teacher dreams started? Does your heart pound when you see the school supply section at Target? While you’re relaxing on the beach, have you defaulted to lesson planning over novels? To help calm your nerves, I’ve compiled notes about five top things every teacher should do before school starts – and guarantee you’ll […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
Race-Based Silence is Violence
Look around your school. Who would be the person to talk to your students about race and how it affects minorities? Who would start the conversation about Alton Sterling or Philando Castille? If you cannot think of anyone, there is an issue. If you don’t think children need to discuss racially charged incidents, there is an […]
Posted inUncategorized
Who Will Care for the Teachers?
When I sat down to write this piece, my purpose was to scribe a thinly veiled, autobiographical accounting of my own experience of surviving the middle school classroom while I struggled with depression. However, wanting to avoid the cathartic-memoir trope, I planned to include information on the prevalence of depressive disorders among classroom teachers .I […]
Posted inFeatured, Teacher Burnout
Teacher Burnout: When to Leave the Classroom
Often it can seem the perceived view of teachers is we are fun, loving, organized, caring, sweet, innocent people because we love children. We spend hours creating lessons that engage our students and develop their passion to grow as people, and learners. What is more fun, caring, organized, loving, sweet, and innocent than that? We never […]